More Thoughts on Vetting Potential New Hires
We’ve spent much of this year thinking about our hiring process, refining it, implementing it, hiring people, and training them. We’ve learned a tremendous amount in the process.
I’ve posted many thoughts throughout the year on the vetting of potential new hires. For instance, browse these team building posts.
Today I share a few more thoughts about vetting engineers and sales people.
Engineers
It is impossible to adequately vet an engineer merely from a few interviews. To really know if an engineer is great, you need to do stuff together. We like to find ways to work together with potential hires before making a full-time offer. Here are ways we accomplish this:
- Hire interns.
- Bring (or fly) potential hires (after they’ve passed the initial vetting process) into our office for 2 full days. Have them work on a project alongside our other engineers. Pay them as contractors for their time.
- Hire the potential full-time hires as part-time contractors first.
- Look for referrals as much as possible. As in anything else, the best leads come from warm and trusted sources.
Sales People
Salesloft put up a wonderful post today on a tactic that can be used in sales interviews. It basically tests the resolve of the potential sales hire to stick to their guns in the face of opposition. It simulates real world tough scenarios which the sales person will face once aboard your startup.
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What are your thoughts on tips for vetting engineers and sales people?